Towncrest Redevelopment

The Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department hosted a series of workshops with residents and business owners from the Southeast District to discuss and gather input on what people wanted to see in the future of their neighborhood. The workshops provided the impetus for the development of the Southeast District Plan, which will help guide the City in future decisions and plans for the area. Some of the workshop discussions focused on the need to revitalize the Towncrest commercial district in ways that would serve existing businesses while also drawing new retailers, service providers, and consumers to the area. Those conversations were the seed that grew to become the Towncrest Urban Renewal Plan.

Towncrest neighborhood revitalization focus of May 14 presentation

The City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department worked with business students at the University of Iowa this spring on ways to revitalize the Towncrest neighborhood in Iowa City—an area the City has been working on redeveloping for a number of years. The UI students presented their final recommendations to elected officials, City of Iowa City staff, business owners, and the general public at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, 2013 in Emma Harvat Hall, City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street.

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Towncrest Financial Incentives / Urban Renewal Plan

The City’s Economic Development Division has prepared an urban renewal plan for the Towncrest area that includes implementation of a Tax-Incentive Financing (TIF) district and funding for façade improvements as well as for new construction or reconstruction of existing commercial spaces.

Towncrest Area Commercial Real Estate Inventory Form

The City wants to put people who are interested in investing in the Towncrest area – such as developers, retailers, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations – in touch with Towncrest-area property owners who are interested in selling or leasing their commercial property, or in selling land they own that could be developed. If you’re interested, please fill out and submit the following form.

If interested in purchasing or leasing a property in the Towncrest area, please contact the Neighborhood and Development Services Department at 319-356-5230.

Towncrest Design Plan

The City hired RDG Planning and Design, a landscape architecture design firm, to create a Towncrest streetscape plan that would establish design standards for basic architectural treatments, sidewalks, landscaping, signage, public open spaces, parking, and amenities for developers and businesses to follow as part of the urban renewal plan. Before starting the project, RDG met with residents and business owners and also set up a comments section on their website to get a sense of what people wanted. The Towncrest Design Plan was approved by the City Council on February 1, 2011. All projects must meet the requirements of the Towncrest Design Plan.